The Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Olowoniyi, has assured Nigerians that electricity supply will gradually improve as maintenance work on a major gas pipeline nears completion, with full restoration expected within two weeks.
Olowoniyi made the remarks on Thursday during an appearance on Arise TV, just days after the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, apologized publicly for the persistent power outages that have disrupted homes, businesses, schools, and industries across the country.
Defending the minister’s apology, Olowoniyi said it reflected strong leadership rather than an admission of personal fault.
“I think the Honourable Minister’s apology was about taking leadership in the sector,” he said. “It wasn’t necessarily his fault, but as Minister of Power, he took the right step in owning the issue and working toward a solution that would restore power as quickly as possible.”
Olowoniyi explained that the current crisis was largely caused by disruptions to a key gas pipeline, noting that roughly 75% of Nigeria’s electricity generation relies on gas.
“One of the major gas pipelines in Nigeria was under maintenance, and that process is almost complete. Within the next two weeks, full gas pressure should be restored, allowing power plants to return to their previous levels of generation,” he said.
He added that recovery has already begun, with gradual improvements expected over the coming weeks.
“From yesterday, we’ve already started seeing progress as gas pressure builds up. We expect continuous improvement over the next couple of weeks,” Olowoniyi said.
The update follows Adelabu’s public apology on Tuesday in Abuja, where he attributed the outages to factors beyond the government’s immediate control but confirmed a two-week timeline for recovery.
“I can tell you that with the committee we’ve set up, commitments from gas suppliers, and the repair timeline, we should start seeing improvements in supply within two weeks,” the minister said.
Adelabu also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s goal of increasing electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts by the end of 2026, describing the current disruption as a temporary setback.
Nigeria’s power sector continues to face challenges including inadequate gas supply, aging infrastructure, transmission bottlenecks, and persistent liquidity issues across the value chain.